Poetry has always flourished amongst the Celts, and in none of the Celtic lands has this form of literature been more cultivated than in Cymru. When, in the twelfth century, the great revival of Cymric literature took place, a number of bards arose, the remains of whose works show them to have been thorough masters of their art. In particular the mastery of language displayed is often something to be wondered at by our less deep modern minds. Most of us could with benefit take a lesson in the handling of language from many of those old Cymric bards. Of this galaxy of singers who flourished during the time of the Cymric princes none rose greater than Gwalchmei ap Meilyr, Gwalchmei the son of Meilyr. He belonged to a family of poets. His father sang to the ‘Old Lion of Gwynedd,’ Gruffudd ap Cynan, as Gwalchmei himself tells us in an ode to Owein Gwynedd, the son of Gruffudd ap Cynan:—
‘Ardwyrews vyn tat
Y vreisc vrenhindat.’
‘My father extolled
His mighty king-father;’
while his son Einiawn ap Gwalchmei composed a beautiful ode on the death of a granddaughter of Owein Gwynedd, and sang the praises of Llywelyn the Great. Gwalchmei was the finest poet of the family. He sang to Owein Gwynedd, but he has other pieces besides the odes to his chieftain, the most famous being Gorhoffedd Gwalchmei, or Gwalchmei’s Delight, which is also perhaps in some respects his best composition. A warrior born and bred, like every Cymro in those stirring days, he tells us how he was keeping watch by night near the fords of Dygen Freidin, and of the thoughts which reflection brought to his mind as he stood alone and observed the beauties of nature around him. It was the spring; all nature was bright and full of life, while the soldier mind would call up memories of fiercely fought battles against the Saxon and the Norman in defence of the mountain land, and think of the strong arm of Owein of Gwynedd that now kept the intruder away. The poem is a
